Nativeguy Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Hey guys, I have been cruising this forum for a couple of weeks due to my renewed reef tank interest from a few years ago. I currently keep tropical and native freshwater fish, but I have never tried saltwater and I want a new, colorful challenge. So, I currently have a 20 gallon long that is empty that I could use, and a 26 bowfront that I could empty, but I do not like the dimensions of the 26. Do you think I would still be ok starting with a 20 even though it is less stable? Link to comment
Markburns43 Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Hell yeah! The only time things get unstable are when things are chnaged too fast. Adding to many fish or feeding to much when your biological bacteria can't keep up with the changes. I find my self during the week adding alk/kh carbonate and rodi top off water due to evaporation. Other than that a good few gallon water change and regular cleaning of my filter is all I do. Link to comment
makingfilms Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 Just depends on what you are interested in keeping in your reef in my opinion. The best piece of advice I got from this forum is first figure out your livestock wish list and then build a tank around it. When I started out reefing, a lot of People told me how much easier it is to maintain your water params with a bigger tank than in a smaller one. I would agree to some extent but with todays tech you can make any size tank as hands off/on as you want granted your wallet may suffer. Basically comes down to just doing the research first and figuring out a good course of action. I started out with a 55 and had success but had to do work on the tank daily. I downgraded to a 5 gallon pico because of this. I find my 5 gallon much easier to keep in terms of WCs and maintainence, and by adding a ato and skimmer I can be pretty hands off for a week, even skip a wc, and my tank won't crash. Basically if you like the 20 gallon better go with that as long as you understand that smaller fluctuations have bigger implications. Link to comment
cruiZe Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 yeah! 20 long is a great size. I started with a 15g - basically the same as yours except only 24" - you will find less fish per size tank recommended in salt water, but there are TONS of cool and colorful things you can have. Link to comment
Nativeguy Posted February 11, 2016 Author Share Posted February 11, 2016 Awesome! Now to trim down my list to my top livestock choices... Thanks so much! Link to comment
Sunar357 Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 I hate bows and I think 20L is one of the best sizes. Gooooooo for it! Link to comment
Nativeguy Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 What about a pair of redfin waspfish? I've been looking at these for a long time, and I think I am capable of training them. The tank would have lots of macros for nutrient uptake. Link to comment
Nativeguy Posted February 14, 2016 Author Share Posted February 14, 2016 Does this seem like a good equipment list to begin with? Any input is appreciated! par38- http://coralcompulsion.com/led/PAR-BULBS/led-36w-20k-Full -200 for two 24w 20k dimmable bulbs 50 gal box of salt for better deal-27$ will last roughly 3 months after initial start up Refractometer-25$ heater- marineland visi-therm stealth 100 watt 30$ epoxy and superglue- 20$ Test kit- api reef test kit 25$ spectrapure 90 gpd Ro/Di system- 125$ 2 koralia nano 425s-72 black aragonite- 45$ http://www.reefcleaners.org/aquarium-store/florida-reef-rock-30lbs-free-shipping-61$ for 30 lbs 675ish depending on extra necessities What is good fine grain sand? (Preferably black) Link to comment
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